TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

The Military Thread

Go To

FluffyMcChicken My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare from where the floating lights gleam Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare
#46326: May 4th 2016 at 7:31:59 PM

I strongly recall reading that it was the Russians themselves who set Moscow afire in the aftermath of Borodino as a final act of defiance, and that Napoleon entered the ruins with a grudging respect for a nation willing to torch its own capital to spite him.

dRoy Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar from Most likely from my study Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
#46327: May 4th 2016 at 7:36:12 PM

Nice platform there.

Continuously reading, studying, and (hopefully) growing.
KnitTie Since: Mar, 2015
#46328: May 4th 2016 at 8:34:49 PM

[up][up]We know that the fire started shortly after Napoleon entered Moscow, but who exactly started it is rather unclear. Among our historians, three versions are considered plausible: a deliberate arson by the retreating Russian forces, a spontaneous act of sabotage by local guerrilla resistance fighters and a bona fide regular fire that was started by some careless French soldiers and spread due to chaos. It's even possible that all three of the above happened more or less simultaneously, since there are some reports that indicate that there were several smaller fires at first that eventually merged together into one huge inferno.

[up]If it's stupid and it works...

edited 4th May '16 8:35:11 PM by KnitTie

TuefelHundenIV Night Clerk of the Apocalypse from Doomsday Facility Corner Store. Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
Night Clerk of the Apocalypse
#46329: May 4th 2016 at 8:39:12 PM

It could have been as simple as someone leaving a small fire to keep warm lit and unattended thinking what could go wrong or a candle still burning that fell over onto something flammable. Stranger things have happened. Though I am amused by the thought of all three at once.

Who watches the watchmen?
AFP Since: Mar, 2010
#46330: May 5th 2016 at 4:47:08 AM

I think the Russians are just impressed by anyone who was that successful at a land invasion of Russia.

I mean, hell, the British burned Washington, D.C., and look what high regard the US holds their troops in. Also helps that it was Washington, D.C. that they set fire to and not a city anyone particularly likes.

entropy13 Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#46331: May 5th 2016 at 6:23:08 AM

The US saw the Filipino soldier first hand quite early in the 20th Century. Then during World War II the reputation was really reinforced (despite the overall defeat by 1942), especially since the insurgency was one of the most active and in-depth. Then the Korean War happened, showing that despite being a foreign land, they can truly punch beyond their weight. Even the Brits and Aussies got to see that first hand.

Much more recent would be when the surrounded Filipino UN peacekeepers were able to hold their ground and fight their way out. Their commander through the Philippine chain of command (rather than the UN) was right: why the hell would peacekeepers surrender to the Syrians and give them their guns...when that's what they really want? Yet the now disarmed peacekeepers would still be hostages after doing so...

TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
#46332: May 5th 2016 at 6:33:57 AM

The point is that they're UN peacekeepers, not fighting a war. The rules of engagement are unbelievably strict, which is why everyone (smart) ignores them when convenient.

Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
entropy13 Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#46333: May 5th 2016 at 6:45:19 AM

[up]Technically speaking neither the Filipino general nor the Indian general assigned to the peacekeeping force followed the rules. The Filipino commander overruled the UN (by giving different orders), while the Indian general gave an order to surrender and be disarmed, which the UN doesn't want to happen anymore after UN peacekeepers did that in Rwanda.

AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#46334: May 5th 2016 at 8:48:51 AM

I am yet to see a single soldier say: I would like to have second deployment as an UN peacekeeper.

Everyone I met coming back from Haiti said they simply hated the stupidly strict Ro E and had to see things like women being raped in the open, seeing executions and the looting of international aid by crime lords. Yet they couldn't do jack shit because they weren't being fired upon or it didn't happen inside an UN compound.

UN military actions tend to be very useless.

Inter arma enim silent leges
TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
#46335: May 5th 2016 at 9:43:29 AM

[up]

That's why ISAF and EU actions are often preferred by soldiers. Lebanon (UN operation) is very boring, except for the occasional Israeli/Hezbollah artillery strike.

Besides, the UN is very deliberately crippled.

edited 5th May '16 9:45:57 AM by TerminusEst

Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
FieldMarshalFry Field Marshal of Cracked from World Internet War 1 Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Field Marshal of Cracked
#46336: May 5th 2016 at 10:44:13 AM

UN peacekeepers and peacekeeping operations tend be stuck in a Catch 22 situation...

advancing the front into TV Tropes
AFP Since: Mar, 2010
#46337: May 5th 2016 at 4:31:24 PM

CAP Transition to the Airman Battle Uniform (ABU)

What's most entertaining about this is watching all the confusion on /r/airforce about the Civil Air Patrol and why they get to wear Air Force uniforms, and all the confusion on /r/civilairpatrol for when and how exactly they'll be wearing these uniforms (including which bits or pieces of the BD Us they can recycle and whether or not they wear the same patches and name tapes).

AFP Since: Mar, 2010
#46338: May 5th 2016 at 7:33:39 PM

Your daily ration of moto for the day:

SabresEdge Show an affirming flame from a defense-in-depth Since: Oct, 2010
Show an affirming flame
#46339: May 5th 2016 at 7:49:31 PM

It's that time of the week again, when I report that somehow, yet again, the SyAA managed to lose some territory and enough weapons to arm a small country to IS.

Shaer oil fields this time, third time in the war it changed hands.

While it is not uncommon for places to switch hands several times during the course of the war, losing such an important location three times in just over two years is shocking to say the least. The concentration of armour and artillery both in Shaer and the surrounding checkpoints have always been massive, and should in theory be more than capable of handling the infantry focused tactics employed by the Islamic State. A total of thirteen checkpoints were believed to have been set up around Shaer, most with its own armour support or even artillery support. While a surprise Islamic State attack on either one of these checkpoints is incredibly likely to succeed, this puts its fighters within firing range of tanks and artillery stationed at other checkpoints nearby. Indeed, artillery could play a decisive role in keeping fighters of the Islamic State at bay and denying large troop concentrations, especially when assisted by UAVs.

While the concentration of artillery this time around was inferior to the previous defenders, which could call on 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers and 122mm BM-21 Grad MRLs, it still boasted up to nine 122mm D-30 howitzers and 130mm M-46 field guns, two of which have been visually confirmed by footage of Shaer. While these howitzers and field guns thus could prove a valuable asset in the hands of the defenders, one of the two 122mm D-30 howitzers seen in Islamic State released footage was simply dumped into a corner of its base. In fact, both howitzers were in travel mode, and for one gun this likely indicates that is was left untouched after its arrival at Shaer. The same applied for the single 57mm AZP S-60, also in travel position with its associated ammuntion neatly packed behind the anti-aircraft gun.

Also in the bag this time? As many as twenty tanks, T-55s and T-62s. I'm starting to suspect Assad is doing this on purpose, so he could turn around and demand T-90s as replacements from Moscow.

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.
AFP Since: Mar, 2010
#46340: May 5th 2016 at 8:18:11 PM

And before long, ISIS will have T-90s, and he'll be begging for whatever you upgrade to from those.

SabresEdge Show an affirming flame from a defense-in-depth Since: Oct, 2010
Show an affirming flame
#46341: May 5th 2016 at 8:24:04 PM

And thus does Syria become the first non-Russian operator of Armatas.

Followed shortly by IS.

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.
entropy13 Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#46342: May 6th 2016 at 9:55:17 AM

I am yet to see a single soldier say: I would like to have second deployment as an UN peacekeeper.

In other words you haven't met a Filipino peacekeeper. They'd choose the second deployment. Especially since the alternative would be their actual pay from the Army (which is considerably lower than the UN's), and still the equally dangerous task of fighting insurgents in your own country. Their family also gets more when they do die as peacekeepers rather than "just" soldiers.

edited 6th May '16 9:56:59 AM by entropy13

HallowHawk Since: Feb, 2013
#46343: May 6th 2016 at 4:20:10 PM

If the CIA have their own paramilitary unit (SAG), why use the Navy SEA Ls to hunt down Bin Laden three years ago?

Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#46344: May 6th 2016 at 4:28:51 PM

Because officially SAD does not exist and this needed to be publicised?

"Yup. That tasted purple."
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#46345: May 6th 2016 at 4:41:43 PM

Didn't the CIA have some guys on site who cut the power or something? If that's the CIA's paramilitary then that's your answer, the CIA guys do sabotage, they're trained to break thing quietly, not take down an armed and defended compound.

The CIA don't take targets that shoot back, if it shoots back you send in the military.

Edit: Yeah according to our page on special forces SOG cut the power and got away, so I suspect it's a stuff that doesn't shoot back thing, if an actual firefight is happening then you want soilders, preferably special forces.

edited 6th May '16 4:45:44 PM by Silasw

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Imca (Veteran)
#46347: May 6th 2016 at 5:37:10 PM

And there is the trailer that made me officially swap camps from a battlefield fangirl to a COD fan girl.

The idea of a WWI FPS can go fuck itself, let alone as a battlefeild installment.

I never thought I would be able to say that I thought hardline was a better concept.

AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#46348: May 6th 2016 at 6:07:59 PM

[up]Still better than the Infinite Warfare trailer.

I am wondering how DICE will fuck this up, like they did with BF 4 and each patch that forced you to relearn the game.

Inter arma enim silent leges
TuefelHundenIV Night Clerk of the Apocalypse from Doomsday Facility Corner Store. Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
Night Clerk of the Apocalypse
#46349: May 6th 2016 at 6:19:06 PM

I don't see what the problem with a WWI FPS is to begin with. Other then peoples often flawed view of the war tends to fixate on narrow stereotypes of the war I see nothing wrong it. Provided they avoided grey/brown always rainy muddy trench meme and actually show the large variety of areas the war was fought on it could be interesting.

As for the whole balancing and patching that seems to be a perpetual well, that is always a the bloody sticky point with DICE games isn't it.

edited 6th May '16 7:07:58 PM by TuefelHundenIV

Who watches the watchmen?
AFP Since: Mar, 2010
#46350: May 6th 2016 at 6:32:28 PM

Honestly, Infinite Warfare looks pretty good, although the title gives me serious pause.

Mainly I think both trailers demonstrate how you can sell me anything if you put the right music to it.


Total posts: 68,250
Top